J&K government decides not to release any more political prisoners

Jammu: Under fire for the release of hardline separatist leader Masarat Alam, the Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday announced that there would be no further release of militants or political prisoners.

"There is no such thing," State Home Secretary Suresh Kumar said in reply to a question whether the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed government will continue with the release of militants and political prisoners.

"No Public Safety Act could be re-framed against Masarat Alam, that is why he was released. Rest there is nothing more (releases)," Kumar said.

Defending the decision to release Masarat, he said, "There is a limit to detaining someone under PSA. You can have maximum six months and one time more."

"According to a Supreme Court judgement you cannot detain anyone again and again on the same charge. If you have done that there should be fresh charges against him."

"This guy was under preventive detention since beginning of 2010. How long can he be continued under PSA? You have to abide by the rule of the country," he said.

"Now media is making an issue out of it. Whom to explain what," he said.

Referring to the release of Pakistani nationals, he said "It is a routine process. Those Pakistan nationals completed jail term and were repatriated back to Pakistan. There is no connection with this issue to the release of the militants."

"We have released 3 to 4 Pakistanis some time back for their repatriation after completion of their jail term. The deportation papers of some Bangladeshi national have arrived and they will be released in April," he said.

He said that every year Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, who complete imprisonment are repatriated back to Pakistan via Wagah border and other places and that is a routine thing.